Category: College Football Playoffs

Big Ten outlook remains bright in College Football Playoff picture

Which Big Ten teams are currently projected in the new 12-team College Football Playoff?

Two things were true heading into this season: the College Football Playoff was going to add more interest with the new 12-team format, and Big Ten football was going to be well represented.

According to this week’s USA Today CFP bracketology piece, those thoughts remain true. 9 of 18 teams in the Big Ten are undefeated, including 5 teams that are 3-0. Oddly enough, the top two Big Ten teams in USA Today’s most recent College Football Playoff bracketology haven’t played thrice yet.

Let’s look at the programs that made the cut this week, and a few knocking on the CFP door.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Week 4 CFP Prediction: #2 seed, Big Ten conference winner

The Buckeyes are listed as the top team from the Big Ten with a first round bye (the bottom eight teams play in the first round). No qualms there, even as they sit third in both major polls.

The top four seeds being conference winners is probably right, even if the fourth seed ends up being worse than seeds as low as eight.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Week 4 CFP Prediction: #6 seed, At Large bid

Penn State sitting ahead of USC is a surprise considering talent faced. What the Nittany Lions have over the Trojans is a higher seed to being the 2024 season.

As of today, USC should be ahead of of Penn State. Even a pummeling of Kent State Week 4 would not be enough to keep PSU ahead, short of USC losing at Michigan this weekend.

Oregon Ducks

Week 4 CFP Prediction: #9 seed, At Large bid

Speaking of teams that have an argument to be ahead of Penn State, Oregon’s blasting of Oregon State ended an odd streak of questionable performances.

The Ducks are on a bye this week, so a drop in next week’s bracketology would not be unsuspected.

USC Trojans

Week 4 CFP Prediction: First Four out

It’s difficult to have qualms with USC on the outside looking in, especially with Missouri and Mississippi in the same boat.

The Group of Five will get at least one program in the 12-team field, leaving USC out for now. The Trojans could change that with a statement win over the Wolverines Week 4.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Week 4 CFP Prediction: Team to watch

If the Cornhuskers sweep Illinois, Purdue, Rutgers, and Indiana prior to their matchup against Ohio State, and Nebraska will be firmly in the hunt for a CFP berth.

Big Ten football under or over-represented in CFP predictions?

Three Big Ten teams are projected into the 12-team College Football Playoffs – are they over or underrepresented heading into Week 3?

There’s no rest when it comes to the College Football Playoffs, especially with 12 teams now getting the chance to play for it all.

Sure there are obvious choices to fill openings (Georgia, Ohio State, Texas), and at least one spot will go to a team outside of the power conferences, the Group of Five, which limits the number of spots remaining.

Which teams made the cut, and how many of them are from the Big Ten?

No. 2 – Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes deserve to be no worse than top three heading into Week 3. A home matchup against the Marshall Thundering Herd is unlikely to change OSU’s spot in the CFP rankings.

Ohio State has to win at least their next four games before taking a loss – Georgia and Texas square off in five weeks –  to at least hope to sit atop the CFP ranks for one week.

No. 9 – USC Trojans

The talent drop-off between the Buckeyes and Trojans is reflected in the ranking predictions. There is also more to learn about L.A.’s finest to feel as if the playoffs make sense for them.

Travel is going to cause chaos for the west coast Big Ten teams, as only Hawai’i is logging more travel miles than both UCLA and USC.

No. 10 – Oregon Ducks

The Ducks are the last 2-0 team in this iteration of projections, and that may be a gift. Their two wins were nearly losses, and the next four games aren’t ideal: at Oregon State, at UCLA, and home against Michigan State and Ohio State.

Does the College Football Playoffs need more Big Ten teams? Should Oregon be in this week, let alone if they struggle to win Week 3?

Former Oregon State head coach Mike Riley named to CFP committee

The CFP committee found its replacement for Pat Chun.

On Friday the College Football Playoff committee announced that former Oregon State and Nebraska head coach Mike Riley would be joining the selection committee. According to the release, Riley will replace Pat Chun who was recently named athletic director at the University of Washington.

Riley is mostly known for his time in Corvallis, where he played high school football. Riley went on to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide under the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant. Following Riley’s playing career, he went into the coaching circuit as a graduate assistant with California.

Riley would eventually work his way up to assistant head coach and offensive coordinator with the USC Trojans before getting his first head coaching gig in college. His first stint as a head coach came in the CFL from 1987 to 1990 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

With the Beavers of Oregon State from 1997 to 1998 and 2003 to 2014, Riley amassed a record of 93-80 with a bowl record of 6-2. His Nebraska Cornhuskers stint lasted just three years before he was replaced by Scott Frost in 2018 after posting a record of 19-19.

“We are pleased to have Mike join the committee,” Hancock said. “He has significant experience as a player and coach, and he loves college football. He will bring a unique perspective to the committee. Plus, he is a delightful human being.”

Mike Riley will be assisting the CFP committee with ranking the top 25 teams starting in November. The top 12 teams based on the selection rules will be rewarded with an opportunity to play for the College Football Playoffs national championship.

College Football Playoff committee agrees on ‘5+7’ format

It appears that we finally have confirmation on the playoff format.

The College Football Playoff committee announced an agreement on the format for the 2024-25 season and beyond.

“This is a very logical adjustment for the College Football Playoff based on the evolution of our conference structures since the board first adopted this new format in September 2022,” said Dr. Mark Keenum, President of Mississippi State University and Chair of the CFP Board of Managers. “I know this change will also be well received by student-athletes, coaches and fans. We all will be pleased to see this new format come to life on the field this postseason.”

The original play for the ‘6+6’ model was officially scrapped once the Pac-12 lost 10 of their 12 members to the ACC, Big 12, and Big Ten conferences. Originally the Power Five champions earned an automatic bid with the highest-ranked group of five champions also earning a berth. The remaining spots would be awarded to six at-large bids.

The new format would award the power four champions (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC) with one final automatic bid going to the highest-ranked group of five champion and the remaining seven spots will be at-large bids.

Starting with the 2024 season, the top four conference champions will be ranked No. 1-No. 4 and will each receive first-round byes. The remaining eight teams will face off in the first round of the playoffs with the highest ranking team hosting the game. The winners will move on to face the top four seeds at the hosting team’s stadiums.

‘5+7’ CFP Format:

  • No. 1 vs the winner of No. 8 vs No. 9
  • No. 2 vs the winner of No. 7 vs No. 10
  • No. 3 vs the winner of No. 6 vs No. 11
  • No. 4 vs the winner of No. 5 vs No. 12

The quarterfinals and semifinals will be held in the New Years Six bowl games. The CFP national championship will be a neutral site game.

The best photos from Michigan’s national championship victory over Washington

Some of the best images of the national championship game.

It has been a long time coming for the Michigan Wolverines. They haven’t been college football’s national champions since the days of Charles Woodson and Lloyd Carr. The two helped bring a national title to Ann Arbor in 1997. Now, Jim Harbaugh and Blake Corum can proclaim the same.

Some will view this victory as tainted due to the sign-stealing scandal, but one thing remains the same, Michigan was the best team on the field on this day. After building a 17-10 halftime, as they did against Alabama, the Wolverines were able to dominate the second half. It began with an interception on the first play of the second half.

The big star in the first half of the game was Donovan Edwards, who rushed for two touchdowns. Both of them came from 40+ yards out. In the fourth quarter, star running back Blake Corum was the closer. He scored two touchdowns to put the game out of reach for the Huskies. As the clock reached 0:00, Michigan was staring at a 34-13 win and the realization that they were national champions.

Here are some of the best images of the game:

Watch: Washington gets back in the game with a score before halftime

Michael Penix Jr makes it a one-score game with a touchdown pass in the National Championship game

Early on, it looked like the Michigan Wolverines would run away with the National Championship game. With a 17-3 lead, they looked dominant. However, just before halftime, the Washington Huskies put together a drive of their own, capped by a Michael Penix Jr touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan.

The drive started on the Washington 39-yard line. The drive spanned 11 plays and 61 yards. The Huskies Southpaw started to heat up as he led the offense down the field to get back within striking distance.

The touchdown pass came on 4th down after Michigan failed on a 4th down attempt of their own. With the Huskies getting the ball back after halftime, it could signal a big momentum shift in the game. Penix Jr will look to keep it up in the 2nd half.

Watch: Donovan Edwards breaks free for the game’s first score for Michigan

Donovan Edwards get the Michigan Wolverines on the board with a 41 yard touchdown run.

College football’s National Championship game has begun as the Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies face off.

The No. 1 ranked Wolverines got the ball first and drove down the field for the game’s first touchdown. The scoring drive went a total of 84 yards, mostly on the ground. The drive spanned a total of eight plays, six on the ground. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy completed both of his passes for 18 yards, both to Cornelius Johnson.

Running back Donovan Edwards got loose and took the ball 41 yards for the score.

The play was the first big play of a game that could feature multiple big plays. Michigan leads 7 – 0 after Edwards’ touchdown run.

Washington will need to slow down the running game and explosive plays from the Wolverines.

How to watch the College Football Playoffs National Championship game

Here’s how you can tune in for tonight’s game.

On Monday night we will finally crown the 2023-24 college football national champions when the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines take on the No. 2 Washington Huskies.

The betting line for this game has held steady at (-4.5) in favor of the Wolverines. One team will walk away as the champions while the other will see their perfect season come to an end in the final game.

Both head coaches are seeking their first championship. Jim Harbaugh is in his ninth season with the Wolverines, this is his third straight appearance in the College Football Playoffs. Since the six-game season in 2020, Michigan is 39-3 since the 2-4 campaign.

Kalen DeBoer is in year 2 with the Washington Huskies, in two seasons he has amassed a record of 25-2 and 16-2 in Pac-12 play. Add in the 2021 season and DeBoer has a combined record of 34-5 over the past three seasons. These two head coaches have seen plenty of success in recent memory.

On Monday night from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, it will all come to a head.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Monday, Jan. 8
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Washington running back Dillon Johnson expected to play

Dillon Johnson, who had to be helped off the field on the final play against Texas, is expected to play against Michigan.

Washington running back Dillon Johnson, who suffered an uncomfortable injury on the final offensive play against Texas in the semifinals and needed to be helped off the field by trainers, is expected to play in Monday’s national championship game, head coach Kalen DeBoer announced on Saturday.

The Huskies running back has dealt with leg injuries for most of the season, either with his knee or foot. Johnson himself confirmed in a media availability that he won’t be 100% against Michigan, but he will be ready to play.

Johnson has been Washington’s best option on the ground by a wide margin this season. He’s rushed for 1,162 yards and 16 touchdowns on 222 carries this season, finishing in the top 25 in the country in rushing yards. He sent his biggest statement against USC with 256 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, gashing a leaky Trojans run defense.

No other Huskies running back surpassed 200 yards for the season, and the entire rest of the team managed just 583 yards on 150 carries.